The Cold-Hearted Daemon
by LuckyLand
Summary: In accepting the daemon into her heart, as grueling as the trial may have been, she would later accept the consequences that came with it. In doing so however, the two would achieve a wholeness only humanity would know. The question still remaining whether their bond was worth the lives of millions and stronger than the will of the Astrals. (Rating will change to M later.)
1. It's Better If You Don't Understand

"How could you do this, Gentiana?" The oracle blinked away furious tears from her eyes as the messenger sat still with silence. Her stoicism was infuriating. How could she possibly sit still and not utter a word?! "How could you betray us like this?!"

Gentiana remained silent, much to Lunafreya's anger. She had an explanation as to why, but she feared the oracle's response. The young oracle knew nothing of the joys she had come to experience with the daemon vessel known as the chancellor, and had Ravus not have dug deeper than he should have into the matter, then Lunafreya would have never found out in the first place. The troublesome brother of the oracle stood blocking the door, ready to fight Gentiana should she attempt to escape. Gentiana sent a venomous glare his way. Things would have been a lot easier if he just would have left it alone.

"Gentiana!" Lunafreya desperately tried to wipe away her tears as she screeched the messenger's name. "Answer me! Why?!"

It was at this time Gentiana opened her eyes to look at the oracle, the first time she had done so ever since she arrived. Her green eyes stayed on the fuming oracle for a moment, then turned towards the window. "…I have not betrayed you."

"Oh?" Ravus approached the messenger, placing his sword down into the marble floor beneath. How could she just say that, that she hasn't been deceiving them all this time? The scorn within his eyes was intense. "You say such a lie knowing you've been caught fraternizing with the enemy?"

"It is not a lie." Gentiana could feel her voice waver. She had so much to tell the two… there was so much that they didn't know about him, so much that they simply didn't understand about the chancellor's reasoning for why he was doing what he was doing. There was a heart underneath all those layers of daemons, and that heart beats just as that of any other human being. With a single sigh, Gentiana looked up at Ravus, exciting him to grip his sword tighter with the intent of slicing her should she aim to attack. Regardless of this, Gentiana slowly looked over to Ravus, shutting her eyes once more. "You simply don't understand."

"What don't we understand?!" Lunafreya snapped walking right in front of the messenger, hot tears still rolling down her cheeks. "How could you possibly justify such a thing?!"

Gentiana fell silent again, turning her attention away from both Fleuret siblings, much to the vexation of both of them. She just wanted to leave, to escape somewhere, to greet her darkest of knights. But at the same time, she wanted things to clear themselves, for this not to end in shambles like Ardyn assumed it would. Lord knew that wasn't at all what she wanted.

"…Your silence is you greatest giveaway." Ravus wandered towards Gentiana, and handed her a simple photo.

The messenger looked at the photo briefly, then glared at Ravus. The imperial mercenary forced the photo towards her once more, this time revealing the picture underneath. Gentiana could feel herself break out into a cold sweat as the full view of the picture became visible.

Ravus's face took on a more stoic look. "Look familiar?"

The chancellor was in the picture, seated on a wooden chair with the messenger herself sitting in his lap. She remembered how she cradled his neck in order to be as close as possible to him, her head resting on his chest. She recalled how sweet he was that day, how he had lacked his usual sarcastic nature that day. On that one day, the usurper felt most like a human, the usual corpse-like and daemonic aura he emitted completely gone. But above all, Gentiana remembered how happy she was that day. That day had been how it started, the beginning of her yearning to see him each and every day, even if he were none the wiser of it. The messenger bit her lip, fighting back the lump forming in her throat. She knew what the oracle and the mercenary wanted her to do. They wanted her to abandon him, to leave him all alone again, but in doing so, she'd be betraying her own heart's desires, a feat that she would surely come to regret. She tore her eyes away from the picture, clenching her jaw. She would not utter another word.

"Is that not you?" Ravus inquired dropping the photo to the floor at her feet.

Gentiana said nothing, prompting Ravus to continue pressing for an answer. He took one more imposing step towards the goddess, to whom she didn't even flinch.

"Is that not you with the imperial chancellor?!" He demanded, raising his voice at the messenger.

He slowly rose his sword to where it was a few inches above the photo. Gentiana quickly glanced at the photo, then to the weapon, and then back to the floor. That picture… meant so much to her, yet if she were to show just how much it meant to her, then the two siblings would surely be able to label her as a traitor. Gentiana continued to hold her tongue. Ravus let out an irritated grunt at her lack of a response. "You still choose to stay quiet?!"

Lunafreya huffed furiously as Gentiana still didn't respond. It wasn't even the fact that she was spending time with chancellor Izunia that made her upset at the time, it was the fact that she wasn't even answering any of the questions they had. All she wanted to know was why. Ravus, now thoroughly annoyed with the messenger's stubbornness, stabbed his sword through the photo beneath, making sure to cut straight through the chancellor's face and to the marble flooring. He then looked back at Gentiana, who still refused to look directly at him. "To think you were hiding it in plain sight too… as a… tch… bookmark."

Gentiana winced as the photo was damage. It was painful to simply watch that photo get cut, it truly was. An angered tear rolled down the messenger's cheek. She was frustrated and angered, mostly at herself more than anything else. Why had life decided to be so cruel to her? Why had it dealt her the bad hand and prevented her from keeping both the oracle and the usurping king?

"Gentiana, out with it." Lunafreya grappled Gentiana's chair, pulling herself closer to the messenger. Her blue eyes sparkled with a certain fierceness despite the fresh tears still damp on her face. She just wanted to know why and what the two were even talking about. "Please… tell us."

"What is it that you want from me?!" Gentiana snapped, rising quickly from her chair.

The messenger could no longer keep her cool. She had to know what they expected of her. Did they want her to deny it? Or did they expect her to state her loyalty? They both should already know the answer to any question they asked her, for they were the ones that caught her. She would do no such explaining.

She was simply the messenger here. Nothing more, nothing less.

She didn't know what answer would allude to non-conflict oriented matters, but it was too late to keep quiet. She had already broken her own silence. Staying quiet wasn't an option anymore. She could no longer bare the two of them scolding her like a mere child.

"What we want," Ravus spat, grabbing Gentiana's shoulder, "is the truth.

"…I've told you as much of the truth as I can. I am not against you." Gentiana walked towards the door, brushing off Ravus's hand. Both siblings watched the messenger approach the door, yet soon Lunafreya started after Gentiana.

"But, you're not with us either, are you, Gentiana?" Gentiana paused at the doorway, holding the door wide open. She slowly turned her head back to face the young oracle, another tear rolling down her other cheek. She stood in utter silence looking at Lunafreya for countless seconds until finally she turned away. It was painful to see that the oracle now harbored a sort of distrust for her, but it was brought out by her own hand. She could do little to change that now.

"M-my oracle… I'm… Neutral." She said as more tear trickled down her face, "I'm neither with nor against you."

Ravus rushed after his sister and the messenger. "You cannot be neutral! You must be on one side or the oth-"

"The see me on whichever side suits your fancy.' Gentiana left the room at that, closing it behind her.

"Gentiana!" Lunafreya rushed out of the door after the messenger only to see that she had vanished.

"Urn! Where did she go?!" Ravus raced out of the room, searching high and low for Gentiana, but wasn't able to find her. She had left the place entirely in search of the chancellor, in search of her daemon: Ardyn Izunia.

 **(Just to let you know, this is the MEDIAS RES of the story.)**


	2. Killing Me Softly

_(Several Months Earlier)_

 _Lady Luna… please hold on for just a bit longer. Your king is on his way._

Gentiana rushed over the passages in her true form, the blue god flying amongst the beautiful doves along with her, gripping her ladyship's Trident of the Oracle tightly. The messenger was on her way to Tenebrae to see the princess and deliver her weapon of choice to her. She hoped to see her unharmed and doing well, what with imperial forces closing in on her homeland. The Lucian prince, Noctis, would surely be on his way towards her to confront Leviathan… and to see his darling oracle of course. With his company, surely Lunafreya would be alright. After all, she had been watching him thus far on his journey, and she's seen him grow both his strength and in wisdom.

He truly was walking tall.

He'd be sure to get rid of the Niflheim scum plaguing the land. The messenger would be sure to tell her of the prince's arrival. She just had to make it there in good time. The messenger continued to fly until she finally stopped upon the peak of a mountain, looking over the vast land beneath. She had quite a ways to go, for she was only nearby Hammerhead. She glared around the area, watching the plenteous life graze the land. She smiled as the beasts of the land continued on with their daily, peaceful lives.

 _How beautiful these simple lives are…_ She thought, sighing happily. _Bless…_

Suddenly, the ground shook violently beneath the messenger, startling her. The once peaceful beasts of the land took off running at the tremors. Car on the road swerved and shook violently as the miniature quake continued. Gentiana fell to her knees as the feeling worsened.

 _An earthquake?!_ She thought trying to stabilizing her footing.

A loud roar broke into the silence of the wasteland. It was at that point that Gentiana knew that she in fact was not alone on that mountain, or rather, that what she was standing on was no mere mountain. Four legs, dusty and massive, sprouted from the creature she stood on. It rose its head, taking the Goddess up along with it then roared once more.

… _Adamantoise._ Gentiana flew off the beast, creating a large space between herself and the beast. However, Adamantoise swiped her out of the sky. She struggled to stable herself in the sky, making sure not to hit the ground. Once more, the Trident of the Oracle, hurtled from the sky and onto the ground. Gentiana gasped as he beast's massive paw raced towards it.

The messenger raced towards the weapon, but knew she wouldn't be able to beat the beast to it. "No!"

With a mighty thud, Adamantoise had crushed the trident underneath his paw. Gentiana, flew around his foot, trying to pry the beast off the trident.

"Come now! Please move!" Gentiana pleaded, struggling to push the beast from the weapon. "My ladyship needs that!"

The stubborn earth tortoise kept its leg at bay, content with the small ice messenger fluttering around his leg. After a while, Gentiana finally blasted the beast with ice. The beast cried out, but still didn't move, much to the goddess's dismay.

"What a bother…" She sighed.

However, the sound of air racing caught Gentiana's ear. She turned only to see his massive leg racing to crush her. Gentiana dodged Adamantoise's fierce swipe, the air knocking her back. The beast struck the ground, creating a mighty crater beneath. She flew to the sky; and Adamantoise followed with his massive claw. He grazed her, making her fall, but not to the ground. She shot ice at him, slowing his arm's pace. Adamantoise broke through the ice in time, hitting her once more. She fell straight out of the sky and tumbled on the dusty ground, her blue skin becoming bruised. Adamantoise took the opportunity and rose his leg once again, aiming to kill her. Gentiana struggled to counter the attack. She held her own against the massive hit, but he proved too strong. She was pummeled into the ground. Pain shook through all her body. His massive foot crushed her into the ground. Out came the blood from her mouth and the loud crunch of her bones. She was down and would most definitely be out. Once more, Adamantoise rose his leg into the air, ready to crush the messenger to death. She struggled to get up, but healing wasn't easy at all in her state. With his large arm hurtling towards her, Gentiana lay in anguish. Her death was fast approaching her. What would become of the young oracle in her absence? Moreover, what would become of the world without her? Both thoughts made the goddess mournful. To think that she would die here…

"M-my lady…" She coughed, writhing a bit. "I'm so sorry… I-I… urk! I've failed you…"

The messenger's breathing became deep and shallow, her vision blurred and blackened, and she began to feel unbelievably cold as the beast's arm raced towards her.


	3. Going Places Where You Don't Belong

As Gentiana's eyes opened, her limbs flexed in shock. Everything felt sore, too sore. She was quick to note the liquid surrounding them, the weighted feeling somehow easing her body of its pain. Bubbles rushed up from beneath her, causing her hair to run in a flurry of ways. She was also quick to note the mask covering over her mouth and nose. The only other thing that meets her skin is the surrounding glass gently touching sides of her arms and legs. Her arms and legs, as she realized upon trying to move them, were also held in some sort of confinement, because she wasn't able to move them freely at all. Even her neck was under this confinement, she could barely move her head enough to get a good look around. Her senses, though very blurry, revealed a sort of small, metallic area. There were people… or maybe beasts in there, that she could tell.

 _W-where... Where am I?_ The messenger thought honing her senses to the best of her ability.

A small muffled sort of tapping noise began to clearly come to the messenger's ears, prompting her to glance in the direction of the noise. Something… or rather, someone was tapping her confinement space. The figure started speaking once she had turned her attention to them, but what they were saying Gentiana couldn't decipher. Their speech was far too muffled for her to make out, but their voice did seem familiar, its masculinity and somewhat harmonic vibe giving Gentiana chills. In fact, the person's aura… she had sensed it once before. From where, she couldn't yet recall, but the aura was unmistakable, the right blend of daemon and human. The figure eventually got up from his position, moving towards a another figure. The two discussed something and much to Gentiana's dismay, she still could not understand what they were saying.

"You awake in there?" A single voice questioned.

Gentiana turned her attention over to where the voice had come from. The figure had a more calming yet robust nature to her and unlike the other potent aura, this one was significantly weaker and didn't have a trace of daemon. It had a sort of imperial feel to it… almost as if…

A horrible thought came to the messenger at that point.

 _...Imperials?_ The messenger struggled to find where she was through senses alone, yet everything was slowly becoming clear.

"My my, is she waking up now?" That familiar voice… its speech she could hear, "Thank goodness." She still couldn't tell who it was… "I was beginning to think that overgrown turtle proved too much for her."

"Well," another voice, one that sounded strangely like the voice of the oracle's brother, seemed to be closer still to her confined space. Was she truly found by the empire… or perhaps Ravus had just found her? Either way, it was truly a burden… She wasn't exactly sure which side the elder Fleuret stood on, so being near him was always a question of watching what he did. "she is an Astral after all. Such a simple beast couldn't just easily kill her."

The Astral finally opened her eyes to view her surroundings. Immediately, the eerie black of the area was a red flag. The numerous soldiers surrounding the area wasn't any clear indication that she was in good hands either. The final indication however came in the form of an old, wrinkly man adorning white clothing fit for a king, or in this case, an emperor. He strode over to her imprisonment cell, tapping the glass like it were nothing, "Woken up have you, Astral?", the joy in his voice was masked by that stone cold face of his. "Well, we Niflheim folk welcome you to your new home."

Gentiana was taken back by the words. "New home?" What on Earth was he talking about? She took to looking around the area, but couldn't find anything that would be able to keep her here. Ravus was in fact there, but he was a fool to think that he alone could keep her here. The other voice… had to of belonged to the usurper… the bringer of eternal night, or that name he'd much rather be called, "Izunia". It didn't matter though, it wasn't as though he could prevent her from leaving either, powerful as he may have been. Surely that "new home" nonsense was just meant as a threat. There was no true struggle of leaving, nothing here that could keep her there. The other two, the girl, Aranea, and the boy, Loqi, stood in her wake just the same, but the two were mere humans, neither strong enough to take her down. She'd be sure to escape. Right here, right now. She had to see her ladyship off to wake the sleeping Leviathan and greet the prince, not to mention the Trident of the Oracle still needed to be delivered to Lunafreya for her to even begin to summon Leviathan.

It took all but a second for the Astral to free her legs and arms from the metal straps holding her to her small, glass space. With little effort, she had broken free of the glass surrounding her, the shards shattering into even smaller pieces on the ground. The guards pointed their puny weapons at her, but she paid no mind to them. Her only intent was to leave. The emperor however, simply chuckled, much to her surprise. In fact, Ravus kept his peace, his sword still at his side and sheathed. Even the chancellor was at ease of her breaking out, a sign that didn't sit too well with Gentiana.

"...What has you laughing so?" The Astral asked.

Gentiana bounded closer towards the emperor, who burst into full hysterical laughter. He gave no answer, despite her question. Rage slowly built up within the goddess. How _dare_ he laugh in her face, _this mere mortal_? Before she could even repay him for his insolence, the usurping ki- er.. "Chancellor Izunia" gingerly began to wander towards her, placing his cold, gloved hand on top of her shoulder.

"My dear," Gentiana's blank face hid her disgust for such a foul creature even touching her. She of course, wouldn't dare to show off that emotion to him personally, for that could have very well have been his intent. The daemon had always loved to get rise out of people, it was one of the things that made him who he was, wretched as he may have be. "you wish to leave here so soon?" The man continued, pulling Gentiana a bit closer, to where she could feel his breath on her ear. It was meant to be threatening, yet the Astral kept her resolve. Whatever he threw her way, she could surely give it back harder, yet the fact that he knew this and still continued to treat her as though she were nothing confused her to no end. The daemon adjusted his ridiculous black hat, tipping it just enough over his eyes to where she couldn't see them. "Aren't you… _forgetting something_?"

The question took Gentiana back. Obviously, there was in fact something she wasn't aware of that he was. The conniving king…

"What is it that you are implying?" As Gentiana turned to face Ardyn, his hands flew up in a defensive sort of way while still keeping that cheshire grin on his face, the grin that she wanted to wipe right of his face. "What, pray tell, have I forgotten?"

Ardyn feigned a hurt expression. "Why so cross? I'm simply looking out for my _favorite_ Astral after all." The way the word favorite rolled off his tongue, as if he were tasting every syllable of the word, made the goddess shiver. He knew just how to push her buttons, the more she looked at him, the more she wanted to freeze and break him.

"You cannot leave here," Ravus interjected, gaining her attention from Ardyn, who pouted as Ravus ruined his little guessing game. "not without my sister's trident you can't."

The bastards! Gentiana strode up to Ravus, who stood looking down at her. "Where have you hidden it?!"

The Chancellor giggled. "That's for us to know and for you, my dear, to find out."

The Astral blew a powerful gust of cold air Ardyn's way, blowing his hat clean off his head. Ardyn's smirk grew at her physical threat, spite hiding behind his teeth. "You've quite the temper today, goddess…"

"The Chancellor speaks the truth!" Loqi quipped, sitting quiet smugly in his chair, legs crossed and shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Without that trident, Lunafreya and that Lucian boy can never hope to call for the help of Leviathan!"

Another gust of air blew Loqi right out of his chair. Gentiana looked to the emperor, who had managed to calm himself down enough to look her way, though few chuckles still escaped his mouth.

"You will tell me where it is." She commanded. The area around her began to get significantly colder, ice forming on the metallic ground. "You will tell me or you will perish."

"Scary…" Ardyn mused, much to Gentiana's annoyance.

The emperor waved his finger at the Astral. "I haven't the slightest idea where it is. It was not me who hid it, my dear."

Gentiana was taken back by his words, her surprise soon turning to irritation. "If not you, then who here hid it?"

"I did." Gentiana slowly craned her neck to the Chancellor, who was adjusting his hat once more on his head. The smile he wore infuriated her to no end. Ardyn placed a hand on his hip as he approached Gentiana, his long, suave stride adding to her irritation. He seemed to not have a care in all the world, even in her presence, even knowing that she had the potential to truly kill him if she chose to. "It's very well hidden too, so much so that I fear even an Astral like you couldn't find it."

Gentiana glared at Ardyn, her face not one bit amused. The chancellor backed away just a bit, as if he were hurt by a horrid comment. "You're going to look at me like that after I've answered your question?"

"Hitting him's not gonna get you Lunafreya's trident back." Aranea sighed. "He's the only one that knows where it is."

Ravus walked towards Gentiana, this time pointing his sword at the back of her head. "Killing him would just make your search for the trident much harder, wouldn't it?"

Gentiana sighed before looking towards the emperor once more. "What is it that you're after with the trident?"

"It's not the trident we're after, nor Leviathan." The emperor strode towards the goddess, placing a single hand on her arm. Gentiana's face seemed to drop only a bit as he did so, intriguing the elderly man. "No. What we are after is you, Astral."

 _Me?_ Gentiana gave a puzzled sort of look to the elderly man as he gazed up at her, face now stoic and more business-like. _...Why me?_

If they intended for her to join forces with them, they were mistaken. If they intended to forced her into turning against Lady Lunafreya and Prince Noctis, they were sadly mistaken. Moreover, they were insane to believe that she would stay here for more than she needed to. The human (and daemon) filth that stained these machines was far too much for her to even bare for a second. The only reason she was still even here, the only reason why any of them were even still alive, was that she needed the trident. However, the "Chancellor" had hidden it away, and knowing him, he hid it somewhere elaborate, somewhere that would evade the though to both mortals and man, preventing anyone but himself from finding it. To get it back, she would need to give into Niflheim demands… whatever they may have very well have been.

"...Why do you require my assistance?" She asked, taking careful steps backwards. She stopped when the tip of Ravus's sword poked her back. "What are you planning that would require the aid of an Astral?"

The Chancellor snorted a laugh at her question. "It's not your assistance we need."

"Then what?" Gentiana's patience with Ardyn was wearing thin, and he could very well tell that.

"We want you here to keep you from being a nuisance." Ravus snapped, swinging his sword downwards to the ground. Gentiana could feel the air swish as the man struck the metal floor. "To keep you from interfering in our affairs… as well as aiding prince Noctis."

Gentiana held her silence, not daring to say anything. So, that was it then. She was being held so as to stop being a nuisance for Niflheim.

"...If that's the case, then when will I get my ladyship's trident back?" Gentiana watched Ardyn closely, waiting to see his answer. The chancellor tipped his hat a bit before doing the best hipcock he could manage, shifting from holding his hip with the other hand and moving all weight to that one side. She really was cute like this, angered and questioning. It was a shame she was an Astral, and one that worked for that fool Regis no less… Still, Ardyn didn't give anymore of an answer than he needed to, much to Gentiana's anger. "What will I receive in return for staying-"

"Oh my dear sweet Shi- er… Gentiana… that's your name, right?" Gentiana's ears pricked up at the sound of the usurping king almost saying her godly name, something she would never ever want to her come off his dirty lips. Her blank expression turned a bit sour as she stayed watching the chancellor. He simply chuckled at this though, whipping his hair out of his face. "We'll give you your precious trident after we've made sure ourselves that Noctis and his chums are a-okay."

Gentiana still, not knowing whether or not to believe the chancellor's words, glared to Ravus, who poked the gun into her back even further. "...Just as long as I stay away?"

"Yes." The chancellor affirmed. "Just as long as you stay within our safe airships."


End file.
